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For those of you who live in other countries, why don't you try to fix whats wrong with your country before bashing the usa on it's head, Nobody likes americans, but everyone wants to come to america.Does everyone with hiv/aids in your country have access to care and treatment? Do persons with hiv/aids in your country face stigma? why not try to change what is wrong in your part of the world, and make a difference there?

Brandy,

1) Not everyone wants to go to America, sorry I have very good american friends, have worked and spent vacations there, but I would not want to live there. There ARE other nice places in the world, believe me.

2) Yes, everyone with hiv in my country has access to health care and gets his haart meds paid for by the state. We are not just lucky, this was fought for. Now, after more battles, sculptra treatment is also taken care of.

3) Stigma starts at the individual level. No government can make a population stigma free, but it can have policies that inform people, as stigma, like racism, starts with ignorance and fear.

I can't wait to see the politician who takes this one on(not gonna happen). The majority of the people in the US do not have HIV, and the majority of people in the US don't want to get HIV, no way this ban gets tossed till there is a cure. You can argue and protest till the cows come home, it ain't gonna happen. Not enough votes or money in it for any US pol to take it on.

I can't wait to see the politician who takes this one on(not gonna happen). The majority of the people in the US do not have HIV, and the majority of people in the US don't want to get HIV, no way this ban gets tossed till there is a cure. You can argue and protest till the cows come home, it ain't gonna happen. Not enough votes or money in it for any US pol to take it on.

I totally agree Jakey. Given US realpolitik, I can't see this law being repealed at all.

Nobody likes Americans? I don´t think that is true. No country is perfect and you can always find laws or regulations that are absurd in any part of the world.I dont think changing things that are wrong in other countries is going to change this discrimination of USA and other countries (dictatorships) against HIV+ individuals.One thing has nothing to do with he other. There must be some kind of failure in the reasoning part of your brain, Brandy.In Europe you can enter freely with HIV and treatment is 100% free. So there is nothing to change in this matter.I wouldn´t like to live in America. I like the country and the people, but not the competitivity in most aspects of life. I work to live. I don´t live to work. I love my 4 weeks of holidays every year that can turn into 8 more (adding the recovery days to recover from your vacations) and the chance of asking for 15 more days off without payment.In have an University degree which was completely payed by the government an many more things.

Nothing is free, someone is paying for your healthcare,education,and hiv meds. If you don't pay for it someone else is.This ban had nothing to do with prejudice, it had to do with protecting US citizens from the HIV virus. The media and others had this country in a full tilt panic over HIV in the 80s, I have no idea what is was like in your country but things get crazy over here when the media sinks their teeth into something. they wont let it go and politicians are forced to do things they many not want to do,just to get the bright light off of them and to keep their government job.To say this law was passed because of prejudice is pure ignorance of what was going on then. If you look at the ban today,without looking back to the time frame it was passed in,it does appear based on prejudice.Now to get the ban tossed, a politician or group would have make a strong point that HIV is not really a bad thing. As an HIV+ person, I can tell you we don't wanna make that case. The same frenzy which produced this ban also started much of the hiv drug research and hiv study.Clinton didn't end this ban, the evil Bush didn't, and the next president won't either. We are stuck with it. There are many other battles much more important.

Not to gang up on you, but you really don't seem clear on the facts regarding entry into the United States if you're HIV positive.

The HIV immigration prohibition began in 1987, when Congress enacted a measure barring people infected with HIV from entering the U.S. -- whether it be temporary (non-immigrant) visas (including tourist, work, and student visas) -- or establishing legal permanent (immigrant) residency status here. This ban reflected the public’s intense fear of HIV and AIDS during the mid-80s, as well as economic concerns that HIV-positive immigrants would put undue strain on health care resources.

HIV testing is only required for those seeking to establish permanent residency in the U.S., whether they're applying through the U.S. consulate in their current country of citizenship/residence or while attempting to change their current immigrant status while residing in the U.S. Even for some hopeful non-immigrants -- such as "K" and "V" visa applicants (K non-immigrant visa as the fiancee or the spouse of a U.S. citizen or for a V non-immigrant visa as the spouse or child of a lawful permanent resident) -- must undergo HIV testing before being granted a visa.

For other non-immigrant visa applicants, HIV testing is not required. However, they are STILL BANNED FROM U.S. ENTRY. While many HIV-positive non-immigrants do enter the U.S. through proper channels, they are technically doing so illegally if they are knowingly HIV positive and fail to check off on their immigration form that they have a communicable disease. The fact is, the vast majority of HIV-positive people "look like everyone else," so it's not like an INS agent will have cause to stop them. However, let's not forget about what happens during a customs inspection -- if an HIV-positive person enters the United States, does not report that he has a communicable disease on his immigration form, but is found to have HIV mediciations (antiretrovirals) in his or her luggage, he or she can -- and often will -- be held at the airport and deported.

Yes, there are ways to enter the U.S. legally as an HIV-positive person. By applying for an HIV waiver through the U.S. consulate, it is possible -- but by no means guaranteed -- that legal entry can be obtained. However, the applicant's HIV status is permanently recorded if a waiver is granted, which can be a true headache if he or she ever hopes to visit, work, or study in the U.S. again.

Here is a very nice article, published by the American Foundation for AIDS Research, that you might find informative and interesting:

Jack, everybody pays taxes. But in some contries part of those taxes are used to provide healthcare for everybody, education, meds...and in some others, not. That is what I mean when I say "free". I am paying to the social security the same as I did before I needed treatment for HIV. I am not charged a plus for it.Yes Grasshopper, I can recognize that form..."are you Nazi?" Amazing question. Who is going to answer yes?

this law was not designed to frighten or scare people. It was put into law because people were scared and frightened. It was not passed to prejudice people even though it does appear to be prejudiced today. Again if you don't back to the period of time it was passed you miss the reason it was passed. It was passed to protect US citizens from HIV and in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus when there was little knowledge of the virus. Many of us were told we only had a couple of years to live at that time.Now we have meds that allow most of us with hiv to live a "normal lifespan", things are different. But the fear that was created in the 80s still exists in many people who are not hiv+. Its all we heard over here 24/7 for several years. No way is any politician gonna use some of his political capital so foreigners with hiv can visit the US. There are too many other groups that want something that the politician can get votes or money in return for. Everyone wants something from the government and I hate to say this isn't even on the radar. It has nothing to do with prejudice. It is what it is.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

It is refreshinng to know that in most other countries, persons with hiv/Aids seem to have access to care treatment etc. also access to meds.maybe these countries can help the USA to make sure that all persons living in the great USA with this disese also have thses oppurtunities.And my friends that do vist the USA do come in legally, also those persons hivt who came to the USA as Visitors, and deciided not to go back to their countries of origin some being here as long as four to five years because they overstayed their visas, were granted immunity afterr being sponsered by agencies, families and friends, now reside in New York, they also came in legally.For those of them who needed medication, care, housing, and treatment before they were granted immunity, the sate of new york tax payers were paying for that. For those who still reside in public housing, or are disabled and not able to work, the tax payers are paying for that also.Also let me add that I fell victim to this law, after I went back home to Jamaica after attending the UNgeneral assembly, I fell in love with another hivt person while at the assembly, he is an american, he came to jamaica to visit me numerous times, eventually we got married in jamaica, he came back home to the USA, filed the necessary papers, gave the proof they needed to show that he would be financially responsible for me, it took us one year, but after doing all this I was fortunate to be granted A waver, Reason for me living in the USA at this point. There are many of you who seem to think I have no idea what I am talking about, but I have been there ok.If you guys would get on the website Canada HIV/AIDS Legal Network and read iit in its entirety, also see immigration laws and hiv in britain and other countries, you will see some simililarity with regards to US Laws, cocerning persons with hiv.

I think the UK's immigration laws are rather lax. It only took two weeks for me to get my work permit. No medical questions asked. No medical exam required. I am working on getting Will immigrated, but the hitch there is the married/partnership rules, (due to the limited number of locations one can get a DP in the US). His HIV status, similar to mine, will not be an issue and no medical exam will be required. Though there has been talk, (by the Tories), of changing this, at least I remember reading stories about this when I first arrived.

Up until it recently expired, I also had a work permit in South Africa. They required the completion of a medical questionnaire and an examination by my personal doctor, but there were no direct questions on HIV, (only workers in certain industries, like mining, are required to take an HIV test). The questions were a bit vague (communicable diseases and venereal diseases), but my doctor was comfortable in certifying that HIV/HSV did not apply, so he signed away. The form list examples of such diseases (TB, Hepatitis, etc..) and though it did have a ("e.g." after the list) the fact that the government did not specifically list HIV (considering how much that disease impacts the nation), made us reasonably sure they did not care about HIV.

Of course that doesn't mean that HIV discrimination is a uniquely American experience, nor that discrimination (HIV) doesn't happen in Europe. I have known of individuals who have been harassed by UK immigration under a little known rule that if one appears "sick" they can be denied admission into the country. Such vague rules are always at risk of being subject to improper interpretation.

The only way to get into the US if you are positive - even if you just want to visit Disneyland - is to lie and hope you don't get found out, or get a special visa that will remain in your passport and announce to any immigration official - or anyone else who may need to see your passport - that you are hiv positive.

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If your not on meds there is no way they can find out unless you tell them. Right?

Right. Now I have to admit I went to LA once when I didn't know yet that you cdn't go there with my meds and all, and nobody checked. But now I know what kind of 'welcome' might wait for me there, I feel less inclined to discover America. Also when you don't get the waiver/visa and they find your meds than you already broke how many laws, phew, guess I'll spend my pink dollars somewhere else.

oooh those balls, since they put new plating on them, they shine soooo much!but now serious, what did the US administration hopes to achieve with a ban on hiv+ tourists?does anyone here seriously believe a piece of paper will stop someone who is hiv+ from entering the US if he or she has his mind set on to itt?nope! so what is the purpose? scare away those infected? the whole thing was concieved to appease the scared voter! by handing out a piece of paper ,the USgovt did all it can do to stop hiv from coming to the us,wich is ,to put it in a nutshell, nothingzilch,zero.

over here in europe people did and dont get themselves worked up over these maters, realising al too well laws like these wil not stop anyone from doing what he intend to do. and as fear for missuse of the health service goes, there are safeguards in place to prevent that, more even, i dont see many hiv patients from country's like France,Belgium,Holland, Germany ?spain and Italy jumping a plane to take disadvantage of the US health care, mainly because they have state of the art treatment and medication at a fraction of the cost an average US citizen has to pay, provided he is lucky enough to have an insurence that will cover him

Truth is --- and I don't care what kinds of excuses are given --- this is not the first time that the U.S. sides with countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea and so on i.e. countries that have a very poor record on Human Rights. It is not even worth bothering with the citation of sources!The real question is: "When will America finally decide to behave like a civilized nation?" No civilized nation has this ban on Hivers. No civilized nation upholds the death penalty. No civilized nation...well, I'd better stop 'cause this is to no avail!Also, what good is it to go telling other countries how to behave, what they can get or not when the U.S. has one of the poorest records on Human Rights? The Chinese Government, for example, must laugh at Bush when he visits the country! Thank God/dess for Belgium, for Western Europe and some very few other civilized nations of the world.

Val______P.S. For as much as I love the U.S.A. (I really, really do!), I would never include it in the same level of civilization as Western Europe. And I'd never be able to live there for these same reasons cited above. It may be ..."The Greatest Place on Earth"... for the Americans, it is not for me! I love Europe (and Brazil) way too much for that!______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The only way to get into the US if you are positive - even if you just want to visit Disneyland - is to lie and hope you don't get found out, or get a special visa that will remain in your passport and announce to any immigration official - or anyone else who may need to see your passport - that you are hiv positive.

If your not on meds there is no way they can find out unless you tell them. Right?

Hi Jupiter,

Well, right and wrong. It all depends on circumstance. There was an article a few years ago - in the UK's Positive Nation if I remember correctly - that said if you're a gay hiv positive man, there were certain precautions you needed to take while going through customs. Allegedly, men who were openly gay/camp acting (or flamboyantly dressed) have been known to be taken aside and given a grilling about their hiv status. I also believe that they can ask you to take a rapid hiv antibody test (the oral 20 minute swab). Allegedly, the same thing goes for people of colour - especially from developing nations - who "look sick". They don't seem to need solid proof to pull you out for further scrutiny, they only need suspicion.

When it comes down to it, it is a luck of the draw whether or not you end up in the queue with the over-zealous customs agent. It's a "racial profiling" type thing. Just as some people today might be stopped and searched for nothing more than "traveling while Asian", it's possible to be stopped and harassed at a US boarder for "traveling while gay".

Saying all that, it doesn't happen all that often. But it can and it does. To my mind, the fact that the majority get away with going through customs with their hiv status undetected doesn't forgive the law being in place.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

I understand the law but find it a bit rediculous. I think If I was European and wanted to visit the US with my meds that i wouldn't hesitate. I think the officials at our US airports are more focused on finding liquid based bombs and other devices that I really doubt they're too worried about whats in my prescription bottles in my checked luggage.

Is there any documentation or does anyone know someone personally that turned away at one of our airports and sent home because hiv meds were found in their checked or carry on luggage? Or, lets say you're coming from the UK (no visa required), does the official in immigration ask if you AIDS?

Not to downplay the stupidity of this law, but sometimes I think the HIV community take this law more seriously than the government.

Hi, Dennis!I, personally, don't know anyone in the situation you described above. However, my doctor told me one horrible story when I inquired with him about my trip to NYC last May. In addition to that, I've heard so many cases from my European as well as from my South American friends, that I wonder whether America is a "civilized nation" or not! Find below just some examples of what I am alluding to:

I won't bother doing it, but I could tell you a story of a friend of a friend who was searched, and his passport stamped, while returning home to Italy. The search and the inquisition that follows it, in these cases, is always something as degrading and embarrassing for a human being as it is scary. It is not enough to suffer dearly because of this disease, the stigma and ignorance attached to it. The U.S. Government had to add the cherry to the infamous cake.And I really don't think Hivers are worrying more than The infamous U.S. Administration who put/voted this law in place. The problem today, is that we hear and see so many things from our TV sets that it goes in through one ear and out through the other. It is, usually but Thank God/dess not always, only when you are personally affected by something; only when injustice is done to you directly; only when it hurts on your own skin that, suddenly, things take on a new dimension!